A Cry & Prayer for My Sisters

Psalm 17:6-9

I call upon you, for you will answer them O God; incline your ear to them; hear their words. Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.

Keep them as the apple of your eye; hide them in the shadow of your wings, from the wicked who do them violence, their deadly enemies who surround them.

Amen.

WMF Peru is blogging!

I am quite an infrequent blogger, but maybe someone out there will be reading this. I thought I would give you a heads up that WMF Peru now has a blog! We are continuing to update information about the ministry center building and we have posted other information about the history of WMF Peru. You can also check out the Christmas Card Campaign (that some of the youth who have left the streets participated in), from last year. Watch for prayer requests and other things to come soon!

www.wordmadefleshperu.wordpress.com



Also, for those of you who enjoying cooking and baking (like myself), I thought I would pass along my friend's website for you to check out. She has a lot of information on Peruvian cuisine and in general is an amazing person!

http://www.canelaycomino.com/

Until the next blog!

Things I'm Thankful For

The Things I'm Thankful For (in no particular order):

My Family, my blood family and my Peru family, and my family in other places
The Beauty of God's Creation
Minty tasting things (mint chip ice cream, mint hot chocolate, mint chocolate chips, mint m&m's, mint bark, mint tea, mint leaves...)
The man at the market that always yells "Hi!" no matter if I am two feet away or two blocks away, or already on the bus...
A wonderful home - an apartment where I feel safe and at home and can rest
All of the amazing people in my life who teach me to keep hoping with a hope that is way beyond me
The unending situations that I find myself in, where I ask, "How could I possibly be living this?!"
The "turbo" popsicle that Linsey just bought me to keep my throat all nice and cherry coated.
The sunsets that I get to watch from my roof. They light up my heart and strengthen my faith - to keep believing that there is a God.
The hugs and kisses - there are so many!!
All the incredible children in my life, that includes my nieces and nephews, that includes my neighbors, that includes my godson, that includes all the children we meet on the streets.
I am thankful for all of the people who pray and remember me and us (the WMF community here in Peru)
I am thankful for the hope and love of Christ and how it touches my life.

New Memories

I realize I have been an infrequent blogger, but I am trying to improve. The days have been so filled with activities, especially as we are in the last few weeks of the servant team being with us.

On Saturday May 11th, we had a most beautiful Mother's Day Celebration. There were so many amazing things about the day, it is hard to know where to start. For those of you who may not know, Mother's Day in Peru, is celebrated 2nd to Christmas. It is a very important holiday in the life of this country. Mother's are held in the highest regard and this day is reserved for celebration, and family gatherings all over the country. Many people (especially young people) have small tatoo's and or it is common to hear the expression that says, "Dios y Mi Madre", which means, "God and My Mother". For many this is a joyous and celebratory day. For many of the youth who live on the streets, it is a hard day, that reminds them of their losses and distance from their families. For some of the young moms that we know, it is a day to celebrate and reflect on their lives as Mother's and how they are finding new victories in being the young women who God is calling them to be.

The Mother's Day Celebration with some of our friends who are young moms, marked a new season in the life of the community here in Lima. Another page turned, and another page started. What has been written is just the bare bones - a lot is left for the excitement and the unknown. There is so much to anticipate and so much to live in the wonder of God's faithfulness. We had planned to have the party in one of the local churches, however we were informed that we would be unable to use the church. So, we decided on plan B, which was to have the party in the New Ministry Center Building! Together with around 22 volunteers, 16 kids and 8 young Mothers, the first paragraphs of the history of the ministry center, we written. The men of WMF Peru, generously offered themselves to take care of the 16 children! Bless their hearts! They did an amazing job and all were fully exhausted by the end of the day - rightfully so!

The afternoon started with a beautiful meditation by Anna on new Life in Christ (letting go of the old) and being clothed in the new and leaving our burdens at the foot of the Cross.
We were all impacted and challenged by her words. Then the ladies went upstairs to the second floor where we had prepared 3 different station activities. While one group was in the room making bracelets, the other group was getting massages and manicures. We had a full team of amazing volunteers! We had a calm and peaceful environment and it was wonderful to see our friends interact with others that they might not normally have interacted with.

The last station was a low cost garage sale that we set up, selling clothes for the women and their children at record breaking prices! It is was a perfect time to set something like this up because of the oncoming winter. One of the mother's commented to someone at lunch time, "Yeah, I went to get my manicure and then I went to Ripley!" (one of the large department stores here).


The day ended with rotisserie chicken, french fries and salad - a Peruvian favorite and a special meal! It was exciting to see the body of Christ working together and how each person gave of themselves so freely. I know this is just the beginning of many beautiful moments that we will spend together.

Our prayer is that are friends would be dignified, healed, celebrated and loved upon as Christ loved the woman at the well, as Christ healed the blind man, as Christ received the bottle of perfume that was poured over his feet.

"We must live in community because the struggle of life against death demands united ranks of souls and bodies that can be mobilized wherever death threatens life." (Eberhard Arnold, Why We Live in Community)

Where did the time go?

I have to admit, I thought that I would be able to do better at writing. Here I am 4 months later. But I guess it is better than not writing at all?

This list of events in the last months could be unending. We have had lots of visitors! Aaron Strumpel (check out his music on the music links) visited us and joined us in our dedication time for the NEW MINISTRY CENTER BUILDING. Check out pictures HERE. Then the Servant Team 2008 arrived! Another friend of the community, Paul Yoder made a visit and we had a lot of fun hanging out and showing him around. We had a great visit with one of our former staff members and my good friend, Tina Bevill! Then, Linsey (my roommate) had a visit from her friend Kendra and my Mom came to visit also! We had a full house - with many late nights and lots of good talks and coffee (thanks Mom :).

Jose Luis (staff) and Viviana had their little baby girl! She is beautiful! I'll try and post a picture of the fam. I'm an aunt again, and am proud!

God is moving among the youth and children. Our times out on the streets with our friends have been rich and filled with a lot of good conversations and times of prayers. We are seeing God's fruit grow these amazing young people and build them up. Today my friend J was baptized. When I saw him after the service, he radiated, beaming from ear to ear! Our God is truly faithful to take us out of the miry pit and to set us upon the rock. J has lived in the one of the main drug dens that many of the youth we know go to, to get their drugs, for several years. He now is living in a home that was recently opened to young people (who are older than 18 years old), who are leaving the streets. If you think of him, please pray for J!

A Recap

Well, since I do not have all the brain power to write everything that has happened down, I thought I could give you an idea through pictures. So here it goes!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Merry Christmas and

Happy New Year (In February)!



On the Chile Retreat with Adriana



S'mores with the Servant Team Ladies



Camping Trip Art Projects with our Adolescent Program Friends



Camping Trip Relay Races...Has anyone ever tried to do the crabwalk? Lets just
say...I had a good laugh!


A Camp Fire Conversation with one of our Friends



Coming back from Fun at the River...Camping Trip



A Little Bit of Poker Fun!


I'm not loosing yet!



Linsey & I on Thanksgiving!


Yummy Pies


Practicing our annual Christmas Party Dance for the Youth...we love to
make fools of ourselves and have fun!


Viviana & I on Christmas Eve watching the Fireworks on their roof top!


Foot Washing and Communion time on our Staff Retreat! A great way to start
the New Year!



I have this obsession with taking pictures of our amazing sunsets! They don't
do them justice, but I thought I would share!



Another Amazing Sunset. Little gifts from God to end our days!

little miracles

Yipee for a New Year! Another year of blogging, that I promise will improve in frequency! So much has happened in the last month, it would be hard to begin to write about it. But something cool happened today. I was on the bus with (Sebas), one of my friends and co-workers and we were talking. When we were ready to get off the bus, I hear a voice that says, "Sarah". I look at the guy who all the while was standing on the bus watching and listening to us talk, and realized that it is one of the first friends that I met on the street when I came to Lima in 2000. Actually, he may be one of my first friends ever in Lima! I have not seen him or heard about him in years! I said, "K!" But then of course we had to get off the bus. He said that he would write me an email and that he had my email written down.

The amazing thing, is that I didn't even recognize K, because he didn't look anything like he did when he was on the streets...and of course he is 7 years older :) He is clean-cut and looked very well, smiley but a bit shy, like his usual self.

It is a thankful blessing to run into my friend K, after the last month of see numerous friends stumble back to street life and who are in the thick of a battle to stay off the streets. It is a little gift that makes me smile.

*For protection of his person, I have not enclosed "K's" full name.

I've got chills

...Advent...a time to see the hope of Christ. Let me say, that I have experienced and seen visible signs of the Kingdom in this week! A friend of mine who formerly lived on the streets was invited to our annual Christmas party to rap for the 150 person audience (our friends who live on the streets downtown).

I bought his CD. I am sitting here listening to his music. It is amazing. Talk about hope. I'm blown away. He is telling his story and the story of many children who have lived on the streets. He writes on the CD, "...dedicado a los ninos y jovenes exluidos del mundo" or translated, "...dedicated to the children and young people who are excluded from the world". His story is a message of hope.

I've got chills.

Advent!

Its a wonderful hopeful time! Its Advent, the expectant hopeful, time of waiting for the coming of Christ. I have enjoyed these websites and blogs as I am spending time contemplating the coming of our Jesus.

http://www.kencollins.com/question-10.htm

http://www.godspace.wordpress.com

Enjoy!

2 Months Later...

Ok, so it has been almost 2 months since I have posted a blog. This blog goes out to all the blog fans (especially you Amy :), who have been waiting for me to write again. What can I say? Sometimes life gets full and I get lazy. All I can think to write is a list of the things that have happened because it would be hard to write in detail about everything...so here it goes:

1) In September I attended my first Peruvian wedding ever. It was beautiful and definitely Peruvian style. From the moment they arrived at the reception, the radiant couple (friends of mine from church, Eliana and Roberto) were dancing on the floor. Their arrival was at 8:30pm, and the dancing didn't stop until 3am. We left around 2am. I had an opportunity to catch the bouquet (but didn't), pull the string on the cake (yes, its another tradition)...single women pull the string on the cake to see who gets a ring attached to the end of the string, receive my cake to take home in a box (not to eat there -another Peruvian tradition), be and dance with lots of friends, toast to everything and anyone who stopped by the table, wear high heels and a fun red dress.

2)September was also filled with moments spent orienting and getting to know our Servant team ladies - who are soooo awesome and fun!

3) In September we started the ladies Bible study again! It has been wonderful to meet with our friends - some who are living on the streets and others who are struggling to stay off of the streets and or who live at home. We have been blessed by these growing relationships and moments to share with our friends (almost all whom are mothers).

4) In September I "broke up" with my "non-boyfriend". (You'll have to ask me about that one:)

5) In October Brian, Anna and Sebastian all traveled to Romania to visit the Word Made Flesh community there. We didn't think that Sebastian would be able to go, but he miraculously got a visa in time to meet up with Brian and Anna, where the three of them were getting orientation, learning from the WMF Romania community and hanging out with them. Meanwhile on the home front in Lima, we were spending time with the Langley ladies while their husband and daddy was abroad, having sleep-overs, dinners and fun moments together.

6) In October we had 2 new staff start working with us! They are amazing and both bring so much life to the community. I was working like a mad horse trying to get an orientation manual ready for them...and help us start a new orientation process. It has been fun!

7) On the 19th of October we celebrated (the whole staff community and servant team) anniversaries...years spent in Lima. The Langley's have spent 7 years in Lima! Linsey just completed her 1st year and I completed 2 years on my second round :) We made omelets and spent some time remember and sharing God's faithfulness in our lives over the last years. It was good.

8) At the end of the month, Rachel, Linsey, Monica and I traveled to Santiago, Chile for a women's retreat put on by Women's of the Harvest - who serve North American women who are living out of their context in ministry situations around the world. We also met up with the other Word Made Flesh South American staff ladies. It was a neat time and we were treated like queens! If you would like to know more about what it was like, feel free to email me. I got to share a room with Adriana - my dear friend who I lived with a few years ago. A side note to the retreat - I awoke with jaw problems one morning, and continue to have them :(

9) November has been a wonderful but crazy month. On the 1st I started my next 3 year contract! Yipeeeee!!! On the 2nd and 3rd we had our bi-annual Palabra Hecha Hombre (WMF) Peru meeting. On Saturday we had a lunch to end the meeting and together I think we made out to be around 45 people! It was incredible to see all of the volunteers, board members, staff and friends all together!

10) The 7th we left for campamento "camping trip" with the adolescent kids! There were 12 kids who attended and it was a blast! The servant team ladies and Sebastian worked so hard to make it a super fun, creative and relationship building time. The theme was "God's Faithfulness". My favorite part of the campamento was seeing the boys play hide-and-go-seek on the last night. I think we almost wet our pants we were laughing soooo hard.

Well, that is the last few months in a nut shell. I'll try and post some pics!

Oh! I forgot. Today, Sarah (servant team member), Brian and I ran the Nike 10K! We were with 11,000 other people jogging along and were entertained by a variety of acts along the way; martial arts people, friends sitting on exercise balls who were bouncing up and down (what???), a lady singing "I Will Survive", and our friends who were there to cheer us on. I'll try and post some more pics from what I have written.

Much more to come...

I have a Maker

Thank you Lord for the ways in which your remind of your presence. This morning in our Bible study with some of the young mother's we are friends with, we sang this song of worship.

I have a Maker, He knows my Heart.
Before even time began, my life was in His hands.

He knows my name, He knows Every thought.
He sees each tear that falls, and he hears me when I call,
He hears me when I call.

I have a Father, He calls me His own.
He'll never leave me, No Matter Where I go.

Dios es mi Creador, Mi corazon El formo
Mi vida en sus Manos esta, Antes de la Creación
Dios me dio un nombre, todo de mi, lo sabe
Quebrantado del corazon, El me escuchara, El me escuchara
Tengo un Padre. Pertenezco a Dios.
Nunca me abandonara, Seguro en sus manos estoy.

Hearing these words and singing the Truth of this song of worship, touched M's heart and tears came to hear eyes. Lord thank you for the truth of your presence. Thank you for always hearing my cries to you. Thank you for knowing my heart. Thank you that you never leave me, or abandon me and that I am sure in your hands. Thank you for touching our lives this morning as we searched your Word and spent time together. Thank you for I's life. Thank you because you are doing a transformation in my friend - beyond what I could ever imagine or hope.

Amen

Information about the Earthquake Fund

Hi Friends. I wanted to invite you to check out the Word Made Website where we have posted a letter about the earthquake fund that has been started to help those who have been affected by the earthquake that happened on the 15th of August.

Read about the Earthquake Fund

I will update you on news as we continue to discern if we will take part in any building projects in the future.

Some thoughts from the days

It has been awhile since I have posted a blog. Lets just say that life has been very full. A LOT has happened in the last couple of weeks. To update you more on the earthquake relief information, I will post a blog soon, with a link to a letter that the community has written about how we hope to respond to the relief effort in the coming days and months.

Three weeks ago, we were pleasantly sent 6 lovely young ladies from the US, who are spending 4 months with us. They are really really fun and we have been having a sweet time getting to know them. Here is a picture of us all at the welcome dessert (including their host families). We had an ORGANIZATION day at the office. The ladies helped out! It looks amazing! I'll try and post a picture soon!

The days have been really really cold. OK, hats, scarves, gloves and mittens have become normal apparel to wear indoors. Lets just say insulation is minimal and we don't have heating. So, I have written a little song to the tune of "O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree", about one of my most favorite material items ever.

HOT WATER BOTTLE

O Water Bottle

O, Water Bottle, O, Water Bottle,
Your warmth within delight me.
O Water Bottle, O Water Bottle,
Your warmth within delight me.
It’s warm when winter days are cold;
Your warmth can keep away the mold.
O, Water Bottle, O Water Bottle,
Your warmth within delight me!

O Water Bottle, O Water Bottle,
You really are a treasure!
O Water Bottle, O Water Bottle,
You really are a treasure!
How oft at evenings tide, the cold.
O fuzzy cover, you are like gold!
O Water Bottle, O Water Bottle,
You really are a treasure!

A shout out goes to my dear sweet friend Ellie who is from England. She first introduced me to the WATER BOTTLE.

My love for the Water Bottle has become contagious. I'm thinking we could start a business and try and market them.

THE SUN

Alas. The sun came out for the first time today. I took a picture from our roof so I could remember it. I'm not sure when we will see it next. Thank you God for the sun!

An Update on the Quake

As I sit here this evening in the coldness of our cute apartment, I am filled with thoughts and prayers for the people of this country. It is strange to be living life when there are so many people very close to us who are in very great need. I have been sensing the urgency to have some tangible way to respond to this great need. I am so thankful for prayer!

This morning as I paced the wet pavement from the overnight dew I came upon a new stand - where each and every newspaper's headline was something about the problems, chaos and suffering of those who live in Pisco, Chincha and Ica and the surrounding pueblo jovenes. It seems that often in crisis situations, the poorest are the most affected.

There is beauty amidst suffering. There are many here in Lima who are collecting and sharing and giving on behalf of those in the most affected areas. Those who do not have much are giving. Many people from around the world have gathered to help the people of this country.

Please pray that the efforts would be unified as people help. As a community we have been talking about the possibility of being a part of ongoing efforts in rebuilding etc...in the future and also of sending a few of us down to the effected areas in the weeks to come. I am hoping to go down this week with some people from church to the affected areas. We will be setting up lunch posts, handing out basic food supplies, Bibles, tents, clothes etc...

Thank you for all of you who continue to pray for the people of Peru. We have continued to have numerous aftershocks in the last few days, which once again, have thwarted the relief efforts and caused buildings to fall down.

Here is a Prayer for the Afflicted:

We bring before you, O Lord,
the troubles and perils of people and nations,
the sighing of prisoners and captives,
the sorrows of the bereaved,
the necessities of strangers,
the helplessness of the weak,
the despondency fo the weary,
the failing powers of the aged.
O Lord, draw near to each and show me how I may draw near
in your Name,
for the glory of Jesus
-An adaptation of a prayer of St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury
1033-1109

May the Lord hold us in His Hands.

Rachel was looking at one of the Peruvian newspapers "El Comercio" and told me that there are some photos of the earthquake. They are very impacting. I have pasted the link below:
El Comercio

The quake

Well, it was quite the day yesterday. The morning hours were spent with the adolescent kids we know - we had a wild game of soccer - and in my mind it was one of those unforgettable moments. I think I had the ball kicked through my legs about 10 times. What happened to all the mad soccer skills?

The cold lifted for a couple of hours in the afternoon and we saw the sun for the first time in days! Anna and I sat and drank coffee while the sun beat down on us. It was magnificent! Thank I came back to work a bit at the house - Linsey was laying on the couch taking in the sun, "like a cat" as she described and a few hours later was over at the Langley's to have dinner together and celebrate Monica and the team of 6 girls that are arriving tonight to be with us for 4 months! We are super excited!

As the night progressed we found ourselves in the middle of a very large earthquake. Being the most experienced in earthquakes - thanks to the '89 earthquake in San Fran that left me freaked out for 2 years sleeping on the floor of my parents bedroom and then in my doorway (as doorways are the most stable place in the house apparently) - all eyes were on me. What could we do? We all huddled - the Langley's and their daughters, Linsey and I - in one doorway. The quake kept going...and going...I had never felt anything like it. Then we decided maybe we should split up...so then we distributed between 3 doorways and stood there...it kept going! At one point Linsey went back to her chopping - she was making us dinner- and it started again...back to the doorway. Later, Monica and David arrived from another area in Lima saying that there was havoc and craziness on the streets - things breaking and people screaming. All this to say, we are ok, however we do not know if some of our friends are ok. Please pray for the people of Ica and Chincha - the epicenter of the earthquake was about 90 miles south of Lima near these cities. We are wondering how of some of our friends are here in Lima as some of their homes are not structurally sturdy. Many of the old buildings in the center of Lima most likely will be evacuated.

Thank you for your emails and prayers.

Remembering Nana

I told you I would write soon.

This weeks marks one year of the passing of my Nana. It is hard to believe that one year has passed since her death. It doesn't seem like a day passes without me remembering or thinking about her. She was such a treasure and I am so blessed to have been her granddaughter.

When I was in the States I had a chance to visit her grave. After my time there, I wrote the following:

The dream of dreaming
was high in her mind
Wonder and splendor
Like a child watching & waiting for
The stars to fall

Creation & beauty
The grave of a
Woman that became
A hero in my life

Full of strength
Full of Love
Full of Charisma
Full of the life that one might dream of
...to appreciate the small things-

Her legacy to me is of many things.
I am filled with gratitude Lord -
For Nana in my life.
She dazzled and amazed
Me with her stories and
words- with her knowledge
and abilities - with her interests-
with her love for culture and other nations-
with her wonder for life.
These gifts will never leave me and the gift of LOVE remains embedded
in my heart.
Thank you Lord that she is dancing.


Tonight we will head out to the streets to spend time with our friends. Some of
us will stay at the church to pray for our friends who live on the streets and for
those that will be going out to spend time with them. It is a privilege and honor to know our friends and share in life with them. There is so much to learn!

Back to Blogging - Back to LimaLand

I have been on a blog hiatus for a little while. I am out of practice. Thanks to Linsey, my new blog accountability partner, I'm getting back into it :) I have missed writing.

So, here is a poem that I wrote upon my return to Lima. It is really cold - sometimes it is hard to concentrate because all I can think about is the cold. Our friends who live on the streets and those who live in the poorer areas of Lima - suffer greatly during these times. I'm finding it is a mind and attitude battle...and lots of cups of warm tea!

Written on August 4th

Splashes of Wintery cold
The air is wet with thick drops of dew-
It is the dew that molds
and Mellows into your clothing
And all of a sudden the mustiness becomes apparent in the air and all around
The bundles of puffy blankets-
The skies as solemn
As the blueness of ones heart
The fridgedness reaches to the inner being-
The sensitive places-
the ones that cannot
and do not like change-
do not like the monotonous
bland sky-like the same meal eaten for 5 years in a row.
The light I realize must arrive from those around me-
It must appear through a lens that perhaps is only found within-
The window of reaching far to see the faces and beauty-
When you really look, it is not so far away after all.
The smiles, the children beautifying life by being themselves-
laughter-
As chocolate cake is cut and fed to a multitude-
Dance as the beat, drums rhythmically
As the tune of life dwells from that inner being-
Once filled with rattling bones-
But given a new chance for life.
Warmth is evident.

There is so much to write about - to share. The adventures of the last months have been many. Many meals with friends and family in the States, visit to my parents new church, a visit to my favorite city in the world, San Francisco - and a visit to the beautiful little spot that has become a refuge - Half Moon Bay - A super fun cultural wedding, visits to friends who were getting married, who had babies recently - Nebraska - visiting with all of the amazing people from Word Made Flesh who live around the world - having my eyes opened even more. Learning and practicing contemplative prayer - spending quiet moments with Jesus in the beautiful Nebraska City - forests, sun and greenery. Iowa for my birthday with Monica and fam and Linsey too! Seattle for a few days with long time friends - ahhhh- so refreshing - Colin's band played there - Lydia a college friend! Visits with my cousins in Oregon - and back to Cali for a short stay before returning to Lima.

I will write more soon!

On Teachability

"The Lord of the dance summons us to the floor, and it takes time and discipline to learn the steps, to cease tripping over our own feet and to experience the obedient freedom of following God's lead." - Craig Dykstra

Today I went to a dance class with Monica and Rachel and made a fool out of myself. It was fun.

I want to be more teachable and a better learner.

Did I mention dance?

Dancing is an art form here in Peru. I don't really know how to dance their way, but I love to dance. Peruvians have dance in their blood - NO - I'm serious. Children begin dancing in the womb here. It is amazing! They come out tumbling and hip swinging and moving and jiving. It is incredible if you ask me.

So, I think I mentioned in a prior blog that we went dancing a few weeks ago. It was a blast! I think the last time we went dancing was 4 years ago! So, we celebrated David's and Jose's birthday. And I wore high heals - which I am not accustomed to doing - so I sat down a lot, but still had fun! Dancing is life giving! Keep Dancing Friends!

I have attached a couple of picks for you to get in on the pre-discoteca fun at Jose and Viviana's.

Life and What not to do...

Have you ever seen the movie "Newsies"? Its a movie/musical based on the true story of a group of children in New York city in the late 1800's and early 1900's who were very poor and sold news papers to make a living. Tonight, Monica and I sat and watched Newsies (she sang along) - it is a great pic if you haven't seen it, and after Monica told me what it was about, I remembered the stories that Nana (my grandma who passed away last year) used to share with me. She was born in the early
1900's and living as a child through the Great Depression - mostly living on the streets with her brother trying to make a living. One of the ways they worked, was by selling news papers. I don't think she every saw the movie. I wonder what she would have thought of it. Whatdo you think aunt Sherise? Have you seen it? It reminds me a lot of my friends who live on the streets.

Today I arrived at our meeting to find out that last night during the street outreach time there was a lot of violence. Pray for our friends. Pray for us as we go out to visit them in the place that has become their home. Pray for our friends to continue to return home, or new homes, and alternative positive places where they might make
their home.

What not to do...
Do not open a can of Afrikano (terokal - a brand of shoe glue) carelessly.
Today, to my own surprise I opened a can of terokal because I wanted to use it to make cards for many of you! What I didn't know was that it was hard to open, and when the top finally popped off, it was spilled all over my favorite jeans and on my hands. It burned a bit! Linsey sacraficially helped me rub it around a bit and peel some off and then we discovered that probably the only thing that is going to get that stuff off is turpentine. YUM! So, I'm fixing (yes, David, this ones for you)
to pour paint thinner over my jeans to try and peel off this stuff.

The other day, we were at the office making cards for friends of the mission, and we were using the shoe glue that our friends who live on the streets often inhale. Someone had the idea to pour the terokal onto a plastic plate so that everyone could use it. I was told, that within 5 MINUTES, the shoe glue had eaten through the plastic plate and the glue was sticking to the table! This seriously alarmed us as we thought about what damage the shoe glue is doing to the little lungs and brains
of our friends. Pray that chains would be broken. Pray that we would know how to meet them where they are at.